David Moses standing David Moses with his stockman hat

Portrait of David Moses: I was born on and grew up on a little station that they call Limestone. My mother turned to drink at that time, and we were left with the grandmother and the grandfather, and we grew up with them. On Mount Brockman alongside the Hamersley Ranges, there was this stockman, Andrew Stewart, but he wasn’t a learning man. I used to be rough-handled, in a hard way, it hurt a lot too. If I didn’t do the right thing he’d get behind me with the stock whip, and I’d get punched in the jaw when he could reach me. Most of the scars that I have on my forehead are from dirt when I fell on the rocks. He was never teaching properly. But it’s sad that he had to carry on the way he did, because a lot of us young fellas had been chased by him with a stock whip, and other boys had to run into a tree to avoid it all, so we made a little cubby house. It’s a sad thing, I might have been around eleven. Back a few years ago I went to see him, to tell him I forgive him for everything he’d done. It’s very hard, but when you look at the good things that happened, there were fun times, when they let me go with them and try to grab a young bull by the tail, I was fit so I could get away. At the gymkhana on Coongan we’d all get together, and sometimes I’d listen to people putting requests on ABC radio, who’s singing who a love song. Slim Dusty, Charlie Pride and Dolly Parton, and old Hank Williams. It’s the bush life I think people like. It’s sad that most of the stations are closed and haven’t got places to go and work for the younger generation to teach them. Nothing out there for them. I learned a lot even though I got no certificate for it, it’s all in the mind, it’s in your heart. When I turned thirty-five, I realized that I was going blind. I had to pick up myself and say, “I have to do the right thing for myself. Nobody’s going to help me”. I started to memorise everything and that’s how I learned to live on my own. I just praise the Lord too, because if I didn’t come to him, I wouldn’t have that willpower, only through God, Jesus Christ.

Portrait of David Moses: I was born on and grew up on a little station that they call Limestone. My mother turned to drink at that time, and we were left with the grandmother and the grandfather, and we grew up with them. On Mount Brockman alongside the Hamersley Ranges, there was this stockman, Andrew Stewart, but he wasn’t a learning man. I used to be rough-handled, in a hard way, it hurt a lot too. If I didn’t do the right thing he’d get behind me with the stock whip, and I’d get punched in the jaw when he could reach me. Most of the scars that I have on my forehead are from dirt when I fell on the rocks. He was never teaching properly. But it’s sad that he had to carry on the way he did, because a lot of us young fellas had been chased by him with a stock whip, and other boys had to run into a tree to avoid it all, so we made a little cubby house. It’s a sad thing, I might have been around eleven. Back a few years ago I went to see him, to tell him I forgive him for everything he’d done. It’s very hard, but when you look at the good things that happened, there were fun times, when they let me go with them and try to grab a young bull by the tail, I was fit so I could get away. At the gymkhana on Coongan we’d all get together, and sometimes I’d listen to people putting requests on ABC radio, who’s singing who a love song. Slim Dusty, Charlie Pride and Dolly Parton, and old Hank Williams. It’s the bush life I think people like. It’s sad that most of the stations are closed and haven’t got places to go and work for the younger generation to teach them. Nothing out there for them. I learned a lot even though I got no certificate for it, it’s all in the mind, it’s in your heart. When I turned thirty-five, I realized that I was going blind. I had to pick up myself and say, “I have to do the right thing for myself. Nobody’s going to help me”. I started to memorise everything and that’s how I learned to live on my own. I just praise the Lord too, because if I didn’t come to him, I wouldn’t have that willpower, only through God, Jesus Christ.